Freebies the Indian way?

By Chinnaa

Greetings from Chinnaa!

Indians, majority of them and not all, are habituated to live along with freebies. These freebies are more and more visible and common after the privatization, localization and globalization processes have begun.

‘If you purchase one material, you will get another free’ is the common reference in the shops, markets and every other purchasing place.

‘Pay for one shirt and take another free’, ‘Buy one pocket of cooking oil and take one toilet soap free’, ‘Buy a product in our store and take a free coupon for a tournament’. These are the very common announcements in India, where anything and everything free is welcome with folded hands.

Whether in politics or in business or in social life announcement of concessions, freebies, something extra is always welcome and liked by Indians.

Why this phenomenon? Is it the fallout of our socialistic pattern of constitution and democracy where people always look for help from the government or the governmental agencies? Or is it the mentality of Indians to expect concessions and grace discounts and freebies?

In Tamil Nadu, the present DMK government led by Mr. M. Karunanidhi, very old Dravidian leader, who had seen many ups and downs in political life, has introduced and implemented partially many freebies.

‘Free TV sets for all the families of middle and lower middle income group, free cooking gas connection along with Gas Stove, concessional price of Rs.2 per kg of rice, free land of two acres to poor etc and etc’

Mind it; all these concessions are for individual families, private purposes and family benefits. These things are not going to help the nation-building in the developmental arena. These are purely personal, individual fulfilling and private in nature. Why should a government use the tax payers’ money for familial pleasure of luxury?

In addition to creating expectations, it also develops an attitude of taking everything free without working for it. Instead the government could have created employment opportunities, set up industries, developed small businesses.

Take the case of social sector. In every other celebration or domestic function people expect heavy sumptuous feast so that they can remember and cherish for a very long time.

In a religious function also, people are fed freely and made to believe that 'Annadanam’ is always godly and to be welcomed.

No where in a developed society these things are possible, wasting public money for private purpose by the government and wasting or doling out concessions to lure the public by institutions, thereby developing ‘free in everything mentality’ which is not good to the nation. Warm regards Chinnaa!